The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Guide

Two-Handed

Quick Look: Two-Handed

Suggested Perks

N/A

Your Two-Handed Skill Level determines your damage with two-handed weapons. Its perks are nearly an exact copy of the One-Handed perks; you have perks that decrease Stamina consumed by power attacks, perks that unlock more devastating power attacks, and perks that give different weapon types (greatsword, battle axe and warhammer) bonus critical damage, bleed damage and armor penetration, respectively.

There’s just something majestic about two-handed weapons… and in a game like Skyrim, the appeal to be a battle-axe bearing barbarian is really there. Unfortunately, some flaws exist on the combat side of things that make One-Handed weapons more appealing… namely the terrible speed of Two-Handed weapons, which is bad enough to make one question whether the damage output is even worth it. Also, with One-Handed weapons you can use spells or a shield in your off-hand, or dual-wield, making One-Handed more versatile in basically every way.

Perk Picks

You only need one melee skill, and One-Handed is arguably the superior one, so for general power-gameyness, no investement is recommended in Two-Handed. If you must induldge yourself to play that badass barbarian, however, getting five ranks in "Barbarian" is an obvious move to double the damage you’ll deal. Pick any one weapon type and spend three perks to in either "Limbsplitter", "Deep Wounds" or "Skullcrusher", then buff up your power attacks by grabbing "Champion’s Stance" and "Devastating Blow". None of the other perks are terribly recommended; the only one that should seem terribly interesting is "Sweep", but "hitting all targets in front of you" almost always means one, rarely two, and if the stars align, three. Not something you’ll use often enough to matter.

Leveling Tips

Like One-Handed, you level Two-Handed by hitting enemies. Riveting stuff, right? Here, however, is the only place where Two-Handed has an edge, as despite the slower attack speed, Two-Handed actually tends to level up more quickly. Like One-Handed and Sneak, take the opportunity presented by having an immortal, non-hostile ally in Helgen (Ralof or Hadvar) by beating on them until your Two-Handed skill is maxed… or as close to it as you can stand to get it.